Dorgan Requests GAO Investigation

Press Release (WASHINGTON, D.C.) — U.S. Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND) is objecting to a proposed $25 fee the Postal Service intends to charge to accept applications for the “passport card” Americans will need sometime in the next two years to enter the United States from Canada.

He says the $25 fee is excessive, particularly since the Departments of State and Homeland Security, which will process the application and provide the passport card, intend to charge only $20 for adults and $10 for kids.

Dorgan has asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to investigate the Postal Service estimate that an additional $25 fee is required to cover its costs. “It shouldn’t cost more to slide an application across the counter than it does for another agency to process it and provide the actual passport card.” Dorgan said.

Passports are not yet required for land crossings from Canada, but the deadline for requiring a passport for land crossings from Canada has been extended until June 2009, though the requirement could be implemented earlier.

The Intelligence Reform Act of 2004 required all travelers entering the United States to present a passport or other secure identity and citizenship documentation. Passport fees can cost applicants up to $97 each for adults and $82 for kids under 16. Dorgan pushed for a lower-cost passport card to help ease that financial burden on people who live near the Canadian border.

In response the Departments of Homeland Security and State have proposed providing a less expensive “passport card” at a cost of $20 for adults and $10 for children under age 16 who live near the northern boarder.

“An excessive fee by the Postal Service undermines the very reason for the lower-priced passport card for those who live near the northern border,” Dorgan said.

Related link: USPS Passport Application Information